Whatever You Want
by OkayDokey33
Summary: After the events of Fire Emblem Awakening and the position she is in, Lucina doesn't really know what to do with her life. Could Old Hubba (of all people) and an Einherjar of her ancestor, the legendary Hero-King, King Marth, help her find the answers she seeks?


Lucina woke up to the sound of chirping birds and groggily opened her eyes to see a peaceful blue sky with white clouds and sunshine. She yawned, sat up, rubbed her eyes and slowly looked around. She was in a verdant, green plain near a designated path that seemed to go on forever with blue-looking mountains in the distance. She had spent the night here, setting camp near what seemed to be the only tree for miles and miles and, after admiring the beauty of the night sky and the stars it produced, decided to sleep outside, just this once, to be enwrapped in nature's sweet embrace. It wasn't so bad really. In fact, she quite enjoyed it, and waking up to the chirping of songbirds was definitely a plus. But despite all of this, Lucina's heart was troubled. It had nothing to do with the scenery, oh no, the scenery was just fine, relaxing even. What troubled her wasn't something that could be seen, but something that was impossible for anyone to truly see in the first place.

Lucina sighed. "Then again," she thought, "it was naïve of me to think that I would've found it by now. These things take time. That's why I'm taking this journey in the first place, to take the time to find it."

Just then, Lucina heard something rustling inside her tent. Lucina looked through the corner of her eye to see that the front of her tent was opened. Lucina slowly placed her hand on the hilt of her sword, Falchion (which she had kept on her while she slept), slowly picked herself off the ground, and prepared herself for a potential assault. "Who goes there?!" she cried. "Show yourself!"

The rustling stopped, and, after a moment's hesitation, an old man ran out of her tent, went on his knees and furiously bowed apologetically in front of her. "Oh please have mercy! I'm just an old man who was in desperate need of some food! I was only going to steal a little bit of it!" He then realized his mistake, shook his head and corrected, "Um… did I say 'steal'? I meant, um… NOT steal, um… ANY bit of it! Yes, yes, that's right! I wasn't going to steal any bit of it! I was uh… protecting it! Yes, from uh… bandits who… WANTED to steal it! Yes, that's it! I was protecting it from bandits who were trying to steal your food! But I fought them, yep! I fought them to the bitter end to make sure your food was safe!"

Lucina took a good look at the old man and gasped. "Old Hubba?"

Old Hubba, upon hearing his name, slowly looked up to see a familiar face. "Oh! You were part of that army that helped me reclaim all of my Einherjar!"

Lucina nodded. "Yes. I believe we were never properly introduced. I am Lucina, Chrom's daughter."

Old Hubba scratched his head. "Chrom?"

"He was the leader of the army that helped you reclaim your Einherjar."

"Oh! That tall, blue haired guy, right?"

Lucina nodded. "Yes."

"And you're his daughter?"

Lucina nodded again. "Yes," she answered again.

"That's great!" Old Hubba cried. He then saved face, cleared his throat, and said, "Of course, I knew that all along! I am a fortune-teller after all! It's just as I have foresaw! …Forseed? …Foresed?" Old Hubba looked her over. "You say you are the army leader's daughter?" Lucina nodded. After looking her over again, Old Hubba nodded and said, "Yes, I see the resemblance. And even though Old Hubba doesn't swing that way, I am man enough to admit that Chrom (that was his name right? Chrom?) was a good-looking fellow, and it appears that his good looks have been passed on to his daughter. Heh heh heh."

Lucina took a cautious step back. "It is just as father said," she thought. "Old Hubba is indeed a bit… sketchy."

"So," she said, "what brings you to this realm?"

"Ah, yes, well," Old Hubba cleared his throat, and answered, "I came here in order to get my Einherjar back." He smiled, and added, "I was unsure at first how I was going to get them back, considering that I did not know your father's name until now, but now that I know what his name is, at least I can ask for his whereabouts!"

"Um, couldn't you have foreseen it like you foresee everything?" Lucina asked.

"Ah, well…," Old Hubba thought for a moment, "it's just so rude, you know? Using my powers to gain access to information that I have no right to know of in the first place without asking?"

"Well, what about foreseeing where Chrom lives?"

"Well… well…," Old Hubba's mind raced. "I can't foresee everything you know! I'm getting old you see, and making prophecies takes a lot out of you… heh heh."

"Um… right." Lucina decided to change the subject. "Anyway, why do you want your Einherjar back? I thought you gave them to my father as a gift for helping you?"

"Oh, did I say that I was GIVING them to him? I must've misspoke. You see, I was only offering to LEND him the cards until he succeeded on doing… whatever it was that he was doing. And now that he has succeeded in… whatever it was that he needed to succeed in, I'm here to get my Einherjar back. Simple as that really."

"But… how could you have possibly known that he succeeded all the way in the Outrealms? Does news really travel that far that fast?"

"Yes, actually, it does! …I mean uh… no, of course not! I obviously foresaw it of course! Because that's what I am, a fortune-teller! And that's what fortune-tellers do, foresee things! Heh heh. ...Foresee? …Foresaw? …Foresoothe?"

Lucina sighed. "Never mind."

"Oh, um… exactly! Now, can you tell me where Chrom is?"

Lucina pointed down the path. "Just go down this path until you reach a city called Ylisstol. After that, Chrom shouldn't be too hard to find. Simply ask for him and spread the word about who you are and why you're here and I'm sure you'll find him."

Old Hubba smiled, put Lucina's hands in his and shook them. "Oh thank you so very much dear!" Just then, Old Hubba had an idea. "But is it okay if I ask one more favor of you?"

Lucina didn't like where this was going, but she politely asked, "What favor is it that you ask of me?"

Old Hubba stepped back and gravely sighed. "Well you see… I am but an old man… an old man who had just fought off some bandits to keep them from stealing your food! That struggle really took its toll on me and if bandits tried to steal your food then there's a possibility that there could be more bandits down the road. So would you be so kind as to escort this old man to this place you call 'Ylisstol'?"

Lucina frowned. "But what about your Einherjar? Didn't you bring some with you for the journey?"

"Er… well… yes, but… they take up so much energy! And as I said before, I am but a frail, old man, so could you be a dear and escort me to Ylisstol?"

Lucina shook her head. "I am afraid that I cannot do that Hubba, for I had made a vow to myself to leave Chrom once our struggle was over."

Old Hubba sighed and shook his head. "Oh, alright. It's a shame though. A darn shame."

As Old Hubba made his way to the path, Lucina politely waved good-bye, and cried, "Take care Hubba! May your journey be a peaceful and successful one!"

Old Hubba waved back, though he didn't bother turning around to face her. "Yes, yes. But then again, I am a frail, old man who's lived for eons. I could die of a heart attack before I even reach this city!"

Lucina smiled and turned around to pack up her things and resume her journey, but after feeling like she was being watched, slowly looked behind her to see Old Hubba staring at her.

"Is something wrong Hubba?" she asked, frowning. "Why are you staring at me like that?"

"Oh gods!" Old Hubba thought. "Think Hubba, think!"

"Um…," Old Hubba answered. "You look… um… troubled. Is something wrong?"

Lucina gave a little gasp before regaining her composure and giving Old Hubba a small smile. "It seems that you've seen right through me Hubba." She let out a small sigh and said, "I am on a journey of my own you see, and I am afraid that my slow progress has become an incentive to my fears, and that, slowly, my fears are starting to get the better of me."

Old Hubba frowned. This sounded serious and Old Hubba was never good at anything serious. A part of him wanted to find some way out of this before it really began… but then again, Chrom's daughter WAS a good deal up the Old Hubba Scale, and her reserved personality and fashion sense simply added to her charm, so Old Hubba decided to stick around and try to help out for once.

Old Hubba tried to act as wise and sage-like as he possibly could, stroking his beard, nodding as gravely as he could and letting out a heavy sigh. "Could you," dramatic pause, "perhaps… explain to me what these fears are?" When he saw that Lucina was hesitant to answer, Old Hubba walked up to her, sat down on the grass, gestured towards a spot next to him and asked, "Come now, you can talk to good Old Hubba, can't you?"

After a moment's hesitation, Lucina smiled and took a seat next to Old Hubba. "Maybe he's got the right idea," she thought. "Maybe talking to somebody about this will help me cope with all of these worries and uncertainties."

When she sat down, the two of them had an awkward moment of silence before Lucina finally said, "My apologies Old Hubba, but… I just don't know where to start."

Old Hubba put his arm around her, placed one of his hands on her shoulders and gave it a soft squeeze. "Start from the beginning. That's always a good place to start."

Lucina smiled. Maybe there was some good in him after all. "Are you sure? I fear it's a long story."

Old Hubba let out the jolliest laugh he could muster. "Dear girl, I've lived for eons! I can muster up the strength to listen to one last story."

Lucina smiled, took a deep breath, and told her story. She told him everything: how she and her friends were from the future, how (with Naga's help) they went back to the past to change the future, and how they had defeated Grima. Old Hubba dozed off a couple of times, and for every one of those couple of times, Old Hubba had to play it off and pretend that he didn't. Ultimately though, when Lucina finally finished her story, Old Hubba at least knew it enough to the point where he could help her and give her his own input.

Lucina sighed after she finished telling her story. "I'm not entirely sure, but… something just doesn't seem right."

Old Hubba raised an eyebrow at this. "What doesn't seem right?"

"Well… if my friends and I came to the past in order to change the future, and we succeeded in changing the future for the better, then… wouldn't we have no reason to go back to the past in the first place? The moment we defeated Grima for good… shouldn't we have," Lucina looked hard at her hand, "disappeared?"

Old Hubba stroked his beard (because he assumed that that was what elderly sages did when they were deep in thought) and nodded. "Yes, that is a good question." He thought about it for a moment. "Perhaps… when Naga transported you back to the past, she somehow separated you and your friends from the future itself. In other words, she must've cut your connections to the future so that you and your friends could do whatever it was that you needed to do in the past, without any temporal problems whatsoever." Old Hubba smiled at himself for his clever answer. True, he wasn't the greatest or wisest man in all the realms, but when you've lived for as long as he has, you'd be surprised at what you could come up with.

Lucina nodded slowly. "I guess that makes sense. If the future were constantly changing, it would've certainly become a hindrance to our progress. And Naga DID say that our world itself may be lost if we were ever able to return to our own time." She slowly looked up at the sky and sighed. "But… it's strange," she said. "For some reason, I still feel myself connected to the future. Was it not because of the future that we took it upon ourselves to make this journey? Was it not because of the future that my friends and I, despite all of the hardships we suffered, became inseparable friends and comrades in arms? Was it not because of the future that I wield my father's blade, and took it upon myself to finish what our parents could not?"

She lowered her head and frowned. "But what of that future now? Is it now all just a distant and forgotten memory, only remembered by a select few? Is it but a nightmare that will only haunt me and my friends?" She brought her knees up towards her chest and hugged her legs, placing her chin on top of her knees as she was deep in thought. "It's strange," she said, "but despite the fact that I would never want to see that nightmare of a future again, despite the fact that I was filled with joy when we had succeeded in our mission to change it… I realize that that nightmare, no matter how much we shunned it and hated it… is what made me and my friends the people we are today. Everything about that future was painful, whether it be the loss of our parents, whom we loved, the countless loss of lives that we bared witness to, or the countless nagging fears and doubts we felt as our situation grew grimmer and grimmer with each passing day, the future was what made us who we are. All of that pain and suffering that we felt together has made us who we are today! …The future was everything to us. And now… with our future turned into nothing more than terrible fantasy… what of us? What have we become?"

A bit taken aback by the seriousness of her question, Old Hubba's mind raced to think up the best response possible. "Well, um… obviously… um… no matter what, uh… you'll always be Lucina, right?"

"Yes, but… even as we speak, my parents are probably spending time with the other Lucina, the Lucina of the present, the infant. Surely we cannot both be Lucina… right?"

"I'm sorry but, can't two people have the same name and still coexist? I mean… you've said in your story that you've used the name 'Marth' before, and people had the suspension of disbelief to believe that someone could've had the same name as the legendary Hero-King, right?"

Lucina thought about it for a moment. "I guess you are right Hubba, but… I believe my worries in terms of my identity crisis are far deeper than that of a simple name." Lucina looked up at the clouds again, and said, "The biggest question that I have for myself is: what is my purpose now? I mean… the purpose of our journey to the past was to alter the future, and make the world we lived in a better place. Now that we have succeeded in our agenda, what are we to do now? Surely we cannot live with our parents, for we do not belong within this time nor do we belong with our families, especially with our infant selves being born into the world, and we cannot return to the future because that too will have no room for us, as the new future will already possess our older selves. Oh Hubba, with practically everything taken away from me and with nowhere left to go, I am left with so little options! For the first time in my life I… I…," Lucina's eyes started to become moist, "I fear that I don't know what to do! And in a way, this feels so much harder than when we had to find a way to defeat Grima, because this time it is not an evil that I face, but the great unknown! And I fear that my inexperience against such a foe is eating away at my insides with new doubts and fears that I have yet to know how to tame!"

"Oh geez," Old Hubba thought. "This is getting a bit too serious for good Old Hubba to handle! I didn't stay here to see some potential waterworks! And I'm the last person anyone would go looking for sage advice from! Oh Hubba, what hole did you dig yourself into this time?!" Old Hubba thought frantically for some kind of solution to his predicament. On one hand, he couldn't just leave her in her current state. On the other hand, if he tried giving her any sage advice, it might completely backfire. What he needed to do was find a way to help her, but not help her DIRECTLY.

Just then, Old Hubba came up with (what he considered) a brilliant idea. He stood up, took out his Einherjar cards and said (as sage-like and as smoothly as he could), "Lucina… I can't say that I have all the answers… and, well, I obviously do because, you know, I'm a fortune-teller and everything, but… I… um… can't tell you, because, uh… it wouldn't be right, yes, it wouldn't be right to tell you, because you need to learn for yourself! But I predict that talking to one of these Einherjar that I have here will help you figure some things out!" He held out his deck of Einherjar cards to her, waiting for her to take them.

Lucina stared at the Einherjar cards for a second, before looking at Old Hubba in awe and asking, "Are you sure?"

Old Hubba let out the jolliest laugh he could muster. "Of course dear child! But remember, I predict only one can help you find the answers you seek! So pick one, and only one, and I will gladly summon him or her for you!"

Lucina stared at the old man for a moment before smiling, taking the deck of Einherjar cards from his hands, and bowing her head in thanks. "Thank you Hubba."

Old Hubba blushed and waved off the thank-you with a, "Ah, don't mention it! Old Hubba's always here to help!"

Lucina gave him one last soft smile before turning her attention to the deck of Einherjar cards in her hands. "Who should I ask Old Hubba to summon? These are all such legendary heroes! Any one of these heroes could certainly help me find the answers I seek." She thought about it for a moment, before shaking her head. "No. (Giving him the benefit of the doubt) Old Hubba predicted that only one of them is needed to help me in my time of need. As he has said before, he is so old, he probably only has enough strength to summon one more anyway. I must choose carefully!" She looked through the cards until one of them caught her attention.

"The 'Prince Marth' card!" She stared at the card of her ancestor and thought long and hard about it. "The stories say that he was a levelheaded, wise, compassionate king, and he IS an ancestor of mine, so it'll probably be like talking to a member of my own family. At least… I hope it will be." Lucina thought about it a little bit more. "Then again…," she went through the deck until she found the "King Marth" card. "It might be wiser to speak to the king version rather than the prince version. After all, king's had a bit more experience than a prince, right?"

After another moment of thinking it over and checking the rest of the deck to see if there were any possible candidates, Lucina finally gave the deck back to Old Hubba and gave him the "King Marth" card. "May you summon him please?" she asked.

Old Hubba put the deck away and looked at the Einherjar Lucina chose to talk to. He smiled. "Ah yes, the 'King Marth' card. The Hero-King himself! The one who unified the entire continent of Archanea under his rule! A fine choice, a fine choice indeed!" He stepped back, took a deep breath, and chanted, "Hear me, O ruler of ancient Altea and true lord of the Seven Realms… I summon thee, Marth, the Hero-King! Come forth and grant us your knowledge and judgment!"

The card glowed, and Old Hubba and Lucina could hear a gentle, male voice say, "As you wish. I will answer your call." A ball of light came from the Einherjar card and Lucina could see that the picture of King Marth had disappeared from the respective card's face. The ball of light moved gracefully around them, until finally it landed on a spot next to Old Hubba and produced a great flash of light that blinded Lucina to the point where she had to cover her eyes with her hand. As the light finally subsided, she put her hand down and gasped as she saw the picture-perfect image of Marth, the legendary Hero-King, before her, in all his royal grace and splendor.

King Marth turned to Old Hubba and calmly asked, "What is it that you require my knowledge and judgment for?"

Old Hubba gestured towards Lucina and answered, "This fair lady is in need of some guidance your highness. I would do it myself, of course, but I had a vision that you yourself, your highness, will be the one who helps guide her to her correct path."

Marth gave the old man a submissive bow. "As you wish," he said, and he made his way to the slightly overwhelmed Lucina.

He gave her a kind smile. "Hello there Miss. My name is Marth. I am the king of Altea, son of the former King Cornelius and his wife Queen Liza, and I am married to Caeda, former princess of Talys."

Lucina stood up and bowed respectfully to the Hero-King. "Good morning your highness. My name is Lucina. I am the princess of the Halidom of Ylisse and daughter of the current Exalt and ruler, Chrom."

Marth seemed pleasantly surprised. "So I am in the presence of a royal from another land am I? My sincerest apologies princess. I did not know." He returned her bow of respect with one of his own. When he stood straight back up again however, he had a small frown on his face. "Though I must admit princess, I have sadly not heard of the Halidom of Ylisse. Perhaps one day you can take me there and we could form some loyalties between our two kingdoms."

"Er… well," Lucina was about to explain to him that the Halidom of Ylisse was practically the future version of the United Kingdom of Akaneia, formed by Marth himself, made up of the former territories Akaneia, Talys, and Pyrathi, but ultimately decided against it, as mentioning it would probably overcomplicate the conversation and bring up some unwanted questions. "Maybe someday I will," Lucina said, "but right now, I could really use your help, for I fear that the answer to my current, unfortunate state is beyond my reach and understanding."

Marth stared at her for a bit before nodding gravely. "Then I assure you that I shall do my best to help you obtain the answers you seek." He and Lucina sat down as Lucina explained to Marth her entire story and her plight, while Old Hubba left them alone, occasionally glancing at the two from time to time (though he was glancing more at Lucina than at Marth).

When Lucina was finished, Marth sighed, and said, "That is quite the problem you have there Lucina. It is a problem that many people experience, not just yourself, so the first thing I recommend that you do is to stop beating yourself up about it. Many people feel the same turmoil you feel now, but focusing all of your focus and concentration on your turmoil will not help you solve this problem." He gave her a kind smile. "So smile, think positively, and approach the rest of your days with an open mind. The answer you seek will eventually come to you naturally."

Lucina smiled. "Thank you your majesty," she said.

Marth smiled brightly back. "You're welcome." He stood up and looked up at the sky. "Now, as for the answer you seek." He looked back at Lucina and gave her an apologetic smile. "I am afraid that I do not have it. In actuality, no one does. Finding one's purpose is something that that person must find for himself, or… in this case, herself. But… I can certainly help you, if you would allow me to."

Lucina looked confused. "What is it that you mean?"

Marth smiled at her. "I can't quite put my finger on it," he answered, "but for some reason, while you were telling me your story, I felt some kind of strange connection with you. I cannot say exactly what it is, but… it felt… natural. And from the story you've told me, you are apparently a more-than-capable swordswoman. If you'd like, I could take you to Altea, and you could serve as one of Altea's soldiers, at least until you find your calling." Marth let out a small chuckle, and added, "I have a feeling that you will get along with Caeda and the others quite nicely." When Marth saw the sad look on Lucina's face, he was somewhat taken aback. "Why the long face Lucina? Is there something wrong?"

Lucina slowly nodded. Her voice cracked a bit as she answered softly, "Everything."

"Everything?!" Marth repeated, surprised at Lucina's answer. He regained his composure immediately and said, "But… I do not understand."

"Oh Marth," Lucina said, as she shook her head sadly. "Forgive me, but… everything about this is wrong!"

"What?" Marth asked incredulously. "…Why? …How?"

Lucina stood up and, without even looking Marth in the eye, answered, "I… cannot come with you to Altea."

"… Why?"

"Because…," Lucina began, but choked. Oh gods, this was so much harder to do than she thought! "Because…," she began again, "the offer you have just given me, though it was very kind… is impossible to fulfill!"

Marth looked utterly confused. "I… don't understand."

Lucina nodded. "Yes… if I was in your position, I too, would not fully understand. Oh gods, this is so hard to explain!" She looked down at her sword and she had an idea. She took out her sword from her sheath and showed it to Marth. "This is my sword," she said, lifting it in front of him to look at. It looked like she wanted Marth to hold it and examine it closely.

After a moment's hesitation, Marth took the sword from her hands and examined it. It was a nice sword, but he didn't understand why Lucina was showing it to him. "I fear that the significance of you showing me your sword eludes me."

"Look carefully," Lucina gently instructed. "Especially at the blade."

Marth did as he was told. He looked first at the guard and hilt and then long and hard at the sword's blade. When he suddenly realized what Lucina had intended him to realize, his eyes widened. He took out his own sword from its sheath and compared the two blades. Sure enough, despite the fact that the hilt and guards were different, both of the swords' blades were the same. They were an identical match. "But… how? Falchion is a blade that cannot be replicated!"

"Because," Lucina answered, "your sword and my sword are one of the same. My sword is the Falchion of the future."

Marth looked at her, amazed. "This… is a Falchion from the future?!"

Lucina nodded. "Correct. Only those of Ylissean royalty can wield Falchion, and even then, the blade chooses whether the wielder is worthy enough to use it."

"So… only those who share the Ylissean bloodline and who are deemed worthy are capable of using the blade to its fullest potential," Marth repeated.

Lucina nodded. "Correct. And I possess both… as do you. Marth…," she took a deep breath.

"Wait!" Old Hubba cried, running up to them as fast as his old legs allowed him. "W-what are you doing child?!"

"Forgive me Hubba, but this is something that I feel I must do." She turned her attention back to Marth. "Marth… the truth is… I am a descendent of yours from the future!"

Marth let out a small gasp and let the information sink in for a moment. "You…," he asked, pointing at Lucina, "are a descendent of mine… from the future?"

Lucina nodded. "Yes."

A smile slowly appeared on Marth's face. "That's great!" He was then suddenly hit with a sudden realization. "Wait a minute…," he thought it over a bit. "in your story, you said that you came from the future to the time of your father, Chrom." He looked at Lucina. "Is Chrom also my descendent?"

Lucina nodded. "Yes."

Marth thought it over again. "But, Caeda and I have yet to produce a child of our own. Did Chrom himself travel from the future to the past in order to save a land that I know not of?"

Lucina hesitated, before reluctantly shaking her head. "No. I can safely say that my father has never involved himself in traveling back through time. If anything Marth, it is YOU who have traveled FORWARD in time. Over one thousand years even." Lucina then looked down, shook her head again, and added, "And yet… even that is an inadequate explanation."

"There's… more?" Marth asked, in calm disbelief.

Lucina nodded. "I'm afraid so. Marth, you have traveled more than one thousand years into the future, or rather, you would have traveled forward in time… if you were actually Marth, the king of Altea."

Marth's eyes grew wide in surprise. "What? But… I know deep in my heart that I am Marth!"

"It's because…," Lucina shook her head. The longer this conversation went on, the harder it was for her to divulge this information. "It's because… you… are not even human!"

The three simply stood there in silence for what seemed like forever. Lucina kept her head down, afraid to look at Marth's face after her somewhat relentless confession about who he was; Marth just stood there, staring at nothing in particular after his astonishing revelation, his eyes growing even wider and his mouth hanging agape; and Old Hubba, looking worriedly back and forth between the two, wondering what was going to happen next.

Marth snapped out of his stupor and shook his head, looking hard at the ground. "But… that's not possible." He placed his hand over the place where his heart would be and gently pressed down on it. "I can feel my heart beating." He closed his eyes and smelled the fresh air. "I can breathe the air around me and smell the freshness of the plain." A gentle breeze blew past them and he took the time to let the wind envelope him and feel its gentle touch around his body. "I can feel the cool, yet comforting winds that this world has to offer." He looked Lucina right in the eye and asked, "How… can I not be human?"

Lucina looked painfully at the sadness and pain evident on his face. "Maybe this was a bad idea," Lucina thought. "Is there any way for me to take this all back?" She glanced at the empty  
"King Marth" card still in Old Hubba's hand. The thought crept into her mind, but she automatically shook it out. "No. That wouldn't work. The Einherjar remember the experiences they have. Sending him back into the card won't just magically erase this whole conversation. And even if it did, it wouldn't be right." She took one last look at Marth's face. "This conversation is hurting him just as much as it's hurting me, but unlike me, he strives forward, fearing not of the answers that may lie ahead. I must follow by example with the consequences of my decision to convey his unfortunate truth to him."

"It is because," Lucina answered, "you are, in actuality, a reflection of a human." She walked up to Old Hubba and requested that he give Marth's card to her. When he did, she calmly walked back to Marth and showed him his empty card. "You came from this card and you were created by the creator of this card to look, act, and fight just as the real King Marth would. Likewise, you were also given the exact same memories as the original, which is why you have memories of your wife and friends… wife and friends that you never actually had." Marth slowly took the card out of her hands and slowly examined it.

Lucina walked up to Old Hubba and requested that he give her his entire deck of Einherjar cards. Old Hubba, after a moment's hesitation, reluctantly agreed. She walked back up to Marth and showed him five of the cards from the deck of reflections and continued with her explanation. "It's not only you either. Some of your friends have also been inspirations for cards."

Marth looked at the cards in her hand and one instantly got his attention. "Caeda?" he asked, as he spotted the card with a portrait of his supposed wife on it. He was about to pick Caeda's card from the bunch, when suddenly, another card caught his attention. Marth's eyes instantly grew wide. "Is that… me?" he asked as he picked the "Prince Marth" card out of Lucina's hand. He quickly examined it. "It is… it is me!" He read the label on the card. "It's me from my years of being a prince!"

"Yes," Lucina answered softly. "We call each individual reflection 'Einherjar'. Einherjar are weapons that take on a human form. Just as one can forge two identical, yet slightly different swords, one can create two identical, yet slightly different Einherjar. If we had deemed it necessary, we could have summoned both of you here at the same time."

"But… you know… it's not a very good idea," Old Hubba commented.

Marth looked long and hard at the "Prince Marth" card and his own empty card before he sighed and asked, "So I'm… not real?"

"Well…," Old Hubba said, "you ARE real… you're just, not who you think you are."

Marth took a moment to let that information sink in before taking the "Caeda" card from Lucina's hand, staring longingly at it, and asking, "So what you're saying is that… my memories are… fake?"

"Well… technically everything about you is fake." Just then, Old Hubba realized his mistake and tried desperately to fix it. "I-I mean, there's obviously something real about you! Like… um… like the fact that you're here with us! And… um… hoo boy, what else is there? That can't possibly be it!" Old Hubba's mind raced furiously.

Marth looked up at the sky and sighed, a sad smile on his face. "So I really am a fake."

Lucina shook her head regretfully. "I'm so sorry your highness, but it didn't feel right to give you my answer without explaining all of this first." She paused, before adding, "In all honesty, when you offered me a spot to fight alongside you and your comrades… I wanted so badly to believe that it was possible, for if it were, believe me, I would wholeheartedly accept it! But… it was not so. To you, it was possible, and declining the offer due to disinterest or personal reasons would have been lying and thus disrespectful to you, for you have been nothing but kind to me. So… I wanted you to know the truth, so that I could say that, if it were possible, I would gladly accept your offer, but I can't." Her eyes started to get watery and her voice cracked as she added, "Please forgive me!"

Marth stared at her in disbelief for a while before a small, kind smile appeared on his face. "But everything you have said has been true, is that right?"

Lucina gave him a quick nod and softly answered, "Yes."

Marth flashed her another kind, reassuring smile. "Then you have nothing to apologize for." Before Lucina could protest, Marth politely stopped her, and said, "You have told me nothing but the truth, and it is clear as day that the truth has hurt you arguably more so than it has hurt me. It would be selfish and insensitive of me to add to your suffering."

A tear fell down Lucina's face. "I appreciate your empathy for me, truly I do, but…," she shook her head, "don't you see? You kindness towards me feels so much harder to bear compared to selfish and insensitive rage! So please… if you truly feel any amount of anger or frustration towards me or your situation, then you can take it out on me. I won't stop you."

Lucina closed her eyes and braced herself for something, anything, but when nothing happened, she opened her eyes to find Marth looking back up at the sky, deep in thought. "It's strange," he said. "Anyone would be angry and would've lashed out by now, but for some reason… I don't feel any anger. At first, I thought that it was because of the personality bestowed unto me, but then I realized that the original Marth never went through a situation like this before in his lifetime, which means," he looked back at Lucina, a small smile on his face, "what I'm feeling now must be… original."

"So… what are you feeling right now?" Lucina asked.

Marth thought for a moment, before answering, "I think it's… bitter acceptance. I mean, of course I'm bitter about my situation, being a reflection of somebody else, forced to have the same personality and memories of that person and being a weapon that must obey the one who calls upon me, and yet… I feel content with this revelation."

"Why is that?"

Marth looked back at his empty card in his hand. "I have been summoned many times before, haven't I?"

"Um… well… yes," Old Hubba answered. "Though whether some of those instances can be considered 'summons' is debatable."

Marth sighed. "Then that explains all those memories."

Lucina raised an eyebrow at Marth's comment. "What memories?"

Marth looked at her, and answered, "The memories of all the battles I have fought, the battles that the original Marth could not have possibly fought in." He sighed again. "So many unanswered questions surrounded me and my allies throughout the entire battle. Questions like: why were we fighting, what was the purpose of this battle, how did we get here, who were these strange enemies, what was this strange land in which we fought on?" He shook his head regretfully. "We should have taken a moment to think things through, to ponder on our situation, but now I see that instead we went with our instincts, not the instincts linked to our personalities, but the instincts linked to the fact that we are but weapons that take on a human form." He paused, before continuing, "Even in defeat, the questions still plagued us. In fact," he looked at Old Hubba, "even when I was summoned here today, questions instantly attacked the far reaches of my mind. Who is this man? I know him, and yet at the same time, I don't know him. Where am I? Surely it isn't Altea. Why am I here? (Though, admittedly, you always answer that question at least.)" He looked back at Lucina. "Your explanation, though admittedly painful to take in, was a suitable explanation for all of those formerly unexplained, nagging questions. Because of you, I at least have all of that off my mind." He bowed respectfully to her. "Telling me all of this obviously wasn't easy for you. You have my gratitude… and my respect."

Although at first shocked at King Marth's reaction to her actions, Lucina finally snapped out of it, smiled, and bowed back. "You're welcome your majesty."

Marth couldn't help but laugh at this. "Are you sure you should still be calling me stuff like that?"

Lucina smiled back and answered, "I'm sorry, but it's hard to call you anything otherwise when you look exactly like the Hero-King himself."

Marth folded his arms, a big smile on his face. "Or really? Well," he gestured towards Lucina's entire attire, "while I had no choice but to copy someone, it looks like a certain someone did it by choice!"

Lucina folded her arms and raised an eyebrow at this, a smile on her face as well. "I'll have you know that I took on this garb for certain social reasons! If the future wasn't in such bad shape, I wouldn't have hesitated to wear whatever I wanted! In fact, I once saw a dress with pink polka dots that looked absolutely lovely! The next time I see one like it, I shan't hesitate to purchase it and wear it!"

Marth stepped forward, looking Lucina right in the eye. "Oh really?" he asked, a smirk on his face.

Lucina, after a moment's hesitation, took her own step forward, looked Marth right in the eye, and answered, "Really." The two continued to look each other in the eye with mock-intensity until finally, the two burst out laughing. They laughed so hard that they fell to the ground, clutching their sides.

Lucina was the first to regain her composure, and when she did, she looked over at Marth who was still trying to stop himself from laughing. "Is this really how my ancestor acted?" Lucina thought. "Because if it is… I don't think I would've wanted it any other way! He's so easy to talk to, and he even got me to joke around a bit despite all the suffering he's going through and…," Lucina gasped, as she suddenly remembered the reason why she had summoned him in the first place. Lucina looked sadly down, realizing that, after all this, she still didn't have the answers she sought for.

When Marth saw Lucina's face, he stopped laughing and asked, "Is something wrong?"

Lucina sighed, and answered, "We have spent so much time explaining your situation that I almost forgotten why we summoned you here in the first place. What is my purpose now that my original purpose has been fulfilled?" Lucina shook her head sadly, "The answer to this question still eludes me."

The realization slowly sank in for Marth. "Yes, we certainly have gone off topic, haven't we?" He thought for a moment, before he smiled, and added, "But you know what? If anything, the topic about me being a reflection of someone else actually helps in the topic of you finding your purpose."

Lucina looked at Marth, confused. "How so?"

Marth smiled, and answered, "I have a better understanding of what you're going through right now, which means I can better help you find the answers you seek." When he saw that Lucina was still confused, he continued his explanation. "You are a girl who took on a noble quest to save your world, only for the world to shun this version of you, in favor of a new version of you that already exists. You have memories of the future, only to find that neither one of those memories will ever come to fruition. You've basically lived in a fantasy world. In turn, I am a reflection of a man that everyone remembers and reveres, but despite the fact that I share his image, his memories, his personality, everything about him, the world will look at me no more than a mere weapon. My memories never really happened to me. I arguably live in a fantasy world of my very own. After your explanation to me about who and what I really am, I'd like to think that we are similar, and the more alike we are the more of service I can be to you and help you discover the answers you seek."

Lucina stared at him before slowly smiling and giving him a small nod. "Yes, I guess that does make sense." She paused for a moment, before asking, "So… what are two distant memories like us to do?"

"Well," Marth said, "that's the beauty of it… we can do whatever we want."

"What?" Lucina asked, shocked at her ancestor's answer. "But how can we possibly do that? I can't do anything in the future, and if I do anything in this time that attracts too much attention, it will surely draw unwanted attention to my present self, which could produce catastrophic consequences! And you… you're a weapon that is created to obey whoever it is who summons you. You are summoned, you do their bidding, and then you are called back into your card. You have little choice in any matter, so how can you say we can do whatever we want?"

Marth gave her a kind smile, and said, "What you say is true. We live in a world that has given us so little options, and we are put into positions where we cannot or choose not to do certain things. There are obvious boundaries that we cannot pass, decisions and choices that we cannot make, actions that are beyond us for one reason or another. It feels like we are trapped between two strong, unbreakable walls, but here's the thing: within the space given to us, we have the freedom to do whatever we want in between those walls. For example, you may not be able to return to your own time, and you may not be able to do too much in this time, but if you stop to think about what you ARE able to do and what you will ALLOW yourself to do under these circumstances, then you'll see a whole world of options for yourself. And when it comes to picking which option to choose from, well… the choice is yours."

Lucina thought about it for a moment. "Whatever I want, huh?"

Marth nodded. "Whatever you want," he repeated. "You're not tied to your duty to save the future anymore, and you said so yourself that you have little to no ties left here, so that should be more than enough leeway for you to choose your own path from here on out." Marth grinned at her. "Isn't that great?"

Lucina thought about it a little more and smiled. "I guess that is pretty great." She then frowned, and asked, "And… what about you?" She gave him a look of concern.

Marth smiled, looked up at the clear, blue sky above them, and answered, "The one thing that we Einherjar seem to be able to do on our own… is produce our own memories. If that's all I can do, then I choose to do it the way I want to."

"I don't… quite understand."

Marth looked at her, and explained, "I highly enjoyed my time talking with you, and it's reasonable to say that I might never have another talk like this ever again. I choose to remember you, Lucina, as a good friend, for as long as this Einherjar possibly can."

Lucina stared at him, astonished, before smiling, nodding and saying, "And I you, your highness."

Marth smiled and nodded. "Good luck in your endeavors Lucina." He started to glow. He was about to return to his card.

Lucina smiled back, and said, with her voice cracking a little bit from her trying to hold back tears, "Good luck to you as well your majesty."

Marth let out a little laugh as light enveloped him, and he said, "When it comes to remembering my friends, I don't need luck!" And with that, he receded back into his card. As the cards he had been holding had no one left to hold them, they quickly fell to the ground, the "King Marth" card again having King Marth's portrait on it.

Lucina walked up to the cards and picked them up, taking one last look at the "King Marth" card. "Farewell, Hero-King," she said softly.

Old Hubba walked up to her and asked for his cards back, in which Lucina complied. As Old Hubba put his cards away, he smiled knowingly, and said, "What'd I tell you? Old Hubba's visions are never wrong!"

Lucina smiled at him and nodded. "Yes, you were right about the Einherjar aiding our cause as well. Not only were they great warriors in battle, but they raised the morale of our army greatly whenever they were summoned. Your visions are very accurate."

Old Hubba was legitimately surprised. "W-what?! My visions and prophecies came true?!" Old Hubba placed his hand on his chin. "Could it be that I'm a fortune-teller after all?" he muttered to himself.

"What do you mean 'Could it be that I'm a fortune-teller after all'?" Lucina asked. She had apparently heard his little slip of the tongue.

"Oh, um, well… you know… for the non-believers."

Lucina frowned. "Um… yes, for the non-believers." Yep… Old Hubba was definitely a bit sketchy, but he had a good heart.

Old Hubba sighed. "Well, enough of that." He looked up at the sky. "What time is it right now?"

Lucina followed his gaze and shrugged. "I don't know, but I apologize for taking so much of your time."

Old Hubba let out a jolly laugh and said, "Oh, no need for apologies dear child! I took a great deal of pleasure looking at you… I mean, uh, not looking at YOU per say, but, um… looking at you find the answers you sought out to find. Yes, that's it, I enjoyed watching one of my, um, visions play out right in front of me, and for such an important occasion too! Yes, that's nothing more satisfying than helping a young person find their place in this world, yes siree!"

Lucina smiled and gave the old man a small bow to show him her thanks. "You have my gratitude Old Hubba, just as I feel you have the gratitude of my father. I am sure that if you merely asked for your Einherjar back, he will return them to you."

Old Hubba looked down the path again and sighed. "That's… a very long path."

Lucina nodded. "Yes, but I have faith that you will be able to make the journey. You underestimate yourself Hubba, you should be fine going down this path to Ylisstol."

Old Hubba sighed. "I guess I can't convince you to escort me there yourself, can I?"

Lucina smiled. "I'm sorry, but I really can't go back."

"Well… I guess this is good-bye then," Old Hubba said, as he started making his way to the path. Before he reached it however, he took one last look at Lucina and asked, "So… not that I can't foretell it myself, but… what're you going to do now?"

Lucina sighed, looked at the opposite side of the path Old Hubba was about to take, and answered, "We all have our purpose in life Hubba. Whether my purpose has already been fulfilled or whether I have yet to find it, I do not know, but I do know this… until then, I will take the advice my ancestor gave me and do whatever I want. As I live my life, the answer to that question will come naturally."

Old Hubba legitimately smiled at this. Yes, I guess you could say Old Hubba DID get something meaningful out of all this. "Then I wish you good luck," he said.

Lucina nodded. "You too, Hubba."

And with that, Old Hubba made his way to Ylisstol. When he was finally far from view, Lucina packed up camp, was careful not to leave any trace of her behind, and set forth in the opposite direction. She and Old Hubba never met again, and the same could be said about her and her friends and family.

But one thing is for certain, when she left camp that day, she left with a content smile on her face.


End file.
